A regular season filled with plenty of candidates and campaigns that roll with the ebb and flow of the marathon that is the 82-game season will come to an abrupt end. Who will be left standing at the end of that roller coaster for remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, no race has more viable candidates than the Most Improved Player honor.

My sparring partner on almost every debatable topic, NBA TV research ace Kevin Cottrell, weighs in with a case for a somewhat unlikely prospect … Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who has seen his game change dramatically under the tutelage of Doc Rivers:

Throughout the season Lance Stephenson (IND), Gerald Green (PHO) and Goran Dragic (PHO) have drawn praise for the Most Improved Player (MIP) award, but one that’s often overlooked is Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. Is it because Jordan is a big man? Since the award was handed out (after the 1985-86 season) 5 of the 28 winners played the center position. In fact, the last big man to win the award was Jermaine O’Neal after the 2001-02 season. While the team’s anchor typically gets the least amount of touches, some may argue that they have the smallest impact on a game. Jordan is currently posting career highs in four statistical categories (PPG, RPG, BPG and FG%), proving he’s enhanced his game on both ends of the floor. If that doesn’t sway voters, the center has recorded 35 double-doubles, something he did a total of 39 times in his first five seasons combined.

​In recent years, the hardware has gone to the player who had the biggest improvement in the points per game category, as illustrated by the last five MIP winners.

SEASON — PLAYER — PPG Improvement

2012-13 — Paul George +4.9

2011-12 — Ryan Anderson +5.5

2010-11 — Kevin Love +2.7

2009-10 — Aaron Brooks +8.4

2008-09 — Danny Granger +6.2

In NBA debates fans and experts alike tend to have a love affair with number of championships won and an infatuation with scoring barrages. While winning is the goal and scoring entertains, one should be awarded for their overall improvement of their game and not just their ability to put the ball through the basket. For sake of argument let’s look at the top 5 candidates for MIP this season and their PPG improvement.

PLAYER — PPG IMPROVEMENT

D.J. Augustin (CHI) — +9.5

Gerald Green (PHO) — +8.6

Goran Dragic (PHO) — +5.8

Lance Stephenson (IND) — +5.2

DeAndre Jordan (LAC) — +1.5

​At a quick glance, Chicago guard D.J. Augustin should run away with the award. However he’s only appeared in 46 games for the Bulls and his improvement is based on the gaping hole left at point guard by the MVP Derrick Rose. Suns Forward Gerald Green bounced around Europe and the D-League before landing with the Pacers last season. After showing flashes in Indy he signed with the Suns where he was met with an array of minutes and shots on a young team. We’re finally getting a chance to see what Green can do in the NBA, this does not mean there was improvement. Dragic’s opportunity to score was created by the absence of Eric Bledsoe due to injury. As for Stephenson, he has the best argument to win the award. Not only does he lead the league in triple-doubles (4), but he’s been the Pacers second best player and a big reason why they continue to have the best record in the East.

All candidates are worthy of being mentioned, but Jordan was the motivation behind this post. Jordan’s stat line reads: 10.3 ppg 13.8 rpg 2.4 bpg 66.7 FG%. Those are gaudy numbers for a player known solely as a dunker. As for his circumstance, it has been about accountability. In the past Jordan has spent more time on the bench in the final period than in the paint. To support his overall improvement, he averages 7.5 (fourth quarter) minutes per game as opposed to 4.9 last season. To simplify the numbers, Jordan played in all 82 games last season and appeared in just 4th quarters. That has improved drastically this season, as he has appeared in all 69 games and fourth quarters.

Like any league awards, voters will find a way to be critical of players in the most miniscule way to determine their winners. In Jordan’s case some will point out his 45.3 FT% as reason enough to not win the award. That too is up from an embarrassing 38.6 FT% from a year ago. DeAndre has gained confidence at the line having made 40 more free-throws this season than all of last season, a big reason why he’s playing well into the 4th quarter.

Last postseason the Pacers and Spurs were left wondering what would have been if their big men were on the floor in crucial moments of 4th quarters to protect the basket and secure game-winning rebounds. Due to Jordan’s off-season work, the Clippers should not be left wondering “what if” this postseason.

Furthermore, DeAndre Jordan should not have to wonder what it would be like to be named the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

I’ve had Stephenson and Dragic atop my theoretical ballot for much of this season. They’ve both been so good for so long this season that it’s hard to imagine one of them not walking away with the MIP hardware.

But the case for Jordan is legitimate. And the way he is playing and the Clippers are performing this season, Jordan’s campaign could go well into the postseason.

17 Comments

way I see it. gerald green, like u said, finally getting playing time to show his skills (I’ve actually always believed him) but its not a real improvement as we dont have like a base to judge him from. My vote for dragic, he’s already established, and most importantly part of a team that doesnt have any definite all stars (yet). So hes carrying the team overall despite their recent slips into 9th right now?or wherever they are.

To be honest i don’t understand all the talk about Gerald Green for the MIP award. He’s always been an amazing athlete and a good scorer, he’s just having more opportunities to show his qualities. There is improvement, but in my opinion not worthy of a MIP award. There’s more maturity and efficiency but he has not really expanded his game like some of the other guys. Goran Dragic and Lance Stephenson are definitely guys that have improved and expanded their game/role, and make more sense for a Most Improved award. Anthony Davis is obviously another worthy choice; in only his 2nd season he’s already showing us that he’s probably gonna be a top 5 player for the next 10 years. He went from rookie to an All-Star with the 4th best PER in the league!

But the guy that no one is talking about (and i have no idea why…) is DeRozan!! He’s the epitome of a most improved player. He was considered a one-dimensional player, a ultra-athletic scorer who didn’t even shoot 3’s, and he has become an All-Star on a surprise playoff team, a better defender, a better playmaker, he’s started to shoot the 3 more (although still not as efficiently as you’d like for a 2 guard) and showing some leadership qualities. He hasn’t just improved his scoring, he’s improved his overall game and he’s doing it as the best or 2nd best player on his team.

True, scoring is one barometer for success, but I don’t agree that Gerald Green and Dragic and others haven’t put up a remarkable case for their own MIP campaigns. It’s true that Deandre’s been overlooked, and there’s good reason for that.
No one foresaw a lot of these players’ breakouts, and whether it’s due to minutes increase (which is valid but I tend to disagree with) or to a change in usage or role, improvement is improvement.
In the end, I’m just curious to see who the final selection will be, because no matter what, there’s gonna be people walking away unhappy with competition this stiff.

I got to the part where Gerald Green “signed with Phoenix” and the article lost credibility. Gerald Green was traded with Miles Plumlee and a future first round pick from Indiana to Phoenix. Either you know you player movement or you fact check it really isn’t that hard to get it right.
Also, this was bothersome: “To simplify the numbers, Jordan played in all 82 games last season and appeared in just 4th quarters.” Did Jordan just play in 4th quarters? Does that mean he only played the last 12 minutes of each game or did he only get playtime in a limited number of 4th quarters and the writer forgot to include the quantity?
If this is what you deem to be well written I have a morbid curiosity to see what you think is poorly written.